WBIX-AM (1060) is proving to be the little station that could. Slightly more than two years after former owner Alex Langer regained the moribund station, which had been put into receivership after the fraud conviction of then-owner Bradford C. Bleidt, the business-oriented AM is expanding again, replacing syndicated programming with original local shows.
In the next few weeks, the Framingham-based station will unveil four new and several revamped shows and a schedule refocused on business. Tomorrow, "On the Record With George Regan" will debut. The interview show will air Saturdays from 11 a.m. to noon and repeat Mondays from 6 to 7 a.m. Among the first scheduled guests is Mayor Thomas Menino.
Other shows to debut tomorrow include "Thinking Things Through," with hosts Bill Pike and Bob Stolzberg. Pike is described by Langer as "a liberal attorney," Stolzberg as "a conservative businessman." "They want to do an intelligent talk show where people aren't screaming at each other," says Langer, president and CEO of Langer Broadcasting Group. They'll get their shot each Saturday at noon. At 2 p.m., "Out With Joe," featuring Joe Mangiacotti, will get its official launch as a local entertainment and dining show.
The lifestyle programming will expand by the end of the month, when the station hopes to begin "Deputy Diners," a weeknight restaurant program with radio veteran Phil Paleologos.
Starting Monday, Chuck Jaffe's "Your Money," currently airing 6 to 7:30 a.m., will move up to broadcast live from 4-6 a.m. (Tuesday through Friday, the first half-hour will be repeated at 6:30 a.m.) This will be followed by "The Financial Consultants Morning Show," which pairs the former "Financial Consultants" weekend host Ron Birnbaum with a co-host, attorney Michael J. Burwick, for a Monday-Friday show, 7 to 8 a.m. With these leading into current programs such as "Stu Taylor on Business" (8 a.m.) and "Money Matters Radio" (9 a.m.), "we've got hardcore business mornings," says Langer.
This is the second major growth spurt for the station since Langer, who launched WBIX in its business format in 1997, regained ownership in January 2006. That June, he formed a partnership with New England Cable News that has allowed the radio station to simulcast the local cable station's weekday evening news programs from 8 to 10 p.m.
"We're recovering," says Langer, who operated the station since December 2004 for the court-appointed receiver. "Three years ago, the station was in shambles, and I had to build it up piece by piece."
How far that rebuilding will go is an open question. "Talk radio is a tough business, but it's a good signal in a good market," says Michael Harrison, editor of the Springfield-based national trade magazine Talkers. "And I love that they're making a market for offbeat shows that aren't on anywhere else."
Spinning the dial
Despite the elimination last Friday of the overnight position on WBCN-FM (104.1) formerly occupied by Juanita, the station announced on Wednesday that the DJ (who had previously worked at WFNX-FM, 101.7, and been in such bands as Malachite and Heidi) will remain a member of the part-time air staff.
